Capri: Day Three

7:25 a.m.
I find noting more relaxing than falling asleep to the sound of the crickets in the summer. Nothing, except, waking up to the chirp of birds, the caw of a seagull in the distance, and the sun peaking overtop the hills of Capri and onto the ocean below. When I woke up this morning, that is what I saw and heard, and I am currently out on my balcony that overlooks the Mediterranean just soaking it all in. The sun has just peaked behind a cloud, so I can actually read my computer screen as a write, so I think I’ll catch up on a few more journal entries before heading down to breakfast.

Later Day’s Events
Today was split into three very distinct parts. Part one began with our Alan Ceen walk around the island. I have this theory that Alan Ceen can never get lost, even on an island with small skinny roads that he hasn’t set foot on in ten years. He must have the best memory known to man. On our walk he was recalling bits and pieces of things that weren’t here the last time he was here, before he jetted off in a new direction.

When I say jetted, I mean that Alan took us at a near brutal pace up and down the slopes of Capri. Even Romolo couldn’t keep up! The walk started right around nine in the morning and we booked it up a hill only to end up at a crossroads we’d all seen before. If we had gone straight we would have ended up back at Villa Jovis. Instead, we turned right and headed to a district called matermania. On the walk we made four memorable stops (most of the walk was memorable, through cliffs, past ocean views). The first of which was the Arco Naturale, a portion of rock that had been weathered so now a gaping hole formed its center. Views straight down into the sea below and craggy peaks in the background framed a very memorable view.

Then we walked down, down, down to the Grotto matermania, a cave partially formed naturally, and partially infilled with Roman constructions. A few drips of water fell from the stalactites above and you could barely see the sea behind a grove of trees. We walked into this grove next, down a spiraling path that looked like it would have brought us to the water. It was a tease, and we spiraled upwards until a familiar piece of architecture was in our sights.

The Casa mallaparte, a piece of facist architecture from the 1940’s, now sat about 100 meters away from us perched on a rocky peninsula. The home is perhaps the modern day equivalent of Villa Jovis, jutting out to the sea with panoramic view on nearly all sides. Unfortunately, this was as close as we could get to it, since the gate was covered in barbed wire and the only way around was either to climb up a cliff to the left, or down into the abyss on the right. Some people scaled the rocks to try and get a better view of the place. I simple stood on the wall, hoping not to slip and tumble to my demise below. Alan Ceen and Romolo begged for people to get down, and when they did, we continued our walk.

Our walk took us past the blooming flowers and smells blossoming on the island. My nose was a bit stuffed, but I could just sense the wonderful smells of nature, in stark contrast to the smell of cigarettes and smog in Rome, around me. We walked past the Faraglioni, a set of enormous rocks that jutted from the sea just meters from the edge of the main island. As the story goes, these were the rocks that the Cyclops threw at Odysseus as he tried to escape. I particularly enjoy this rendition of the story, even though the real reason is the swirling action of waves and winds. After more climbing we reached the end of our walk at a hotel supposedly designed by the French architect Le Corbusier. I can neither confirm nor deny this, but I can tell you the view was great. In the distance you could just see the beach, and we all decided to venture down here when the walk concluded.

Part One of my day continued during this beach adventure. We grabbed some tomatoes, made some sandwiches, changed into our swimsuits, and took off down Via Krupp to the beach. We arrived the same time as a few other people, while still others were already sunbathing. I quickly got in the water, which was freezing. My body practically went into shock, but once everything went numb it wasn’t so bad. A few waves knocked me around, and you had to be careful of some rocks, but it was enjoyable. It wasn’t particularly dangerous I imagine because if you look at pictures, in the summer this beach is filled with swimming tourists.

After that cold dip, I ate a sandwich and sat on the beach for quite some time. The sun felt very warm despite the cold water, and the rocks on the beach (not a sandy beach by any means), were actually like a memory foam cushion around me. I found some nice shells and a few old tiles from homes around the island that had fallen into the sea and then washed ashore.

After a while, I got up and walked around some tidepools and other areas nearby. Perhaps disconcerting was a sign that said ‘Swim at your own risk. Lifeboat lost at sea.’ It looked rather official. Two creepy men were pretending to eat a sandwich from the dock nearby, but on closer inspection they were only checking out the girls that were with us in their bikinis. Really, only the boys went in the water, with the exception of Alice (our New Zealander who plays water polo). I went back in two more times, and tried to get Susie to go in once.

Though unsuccessful, I did sit on her while she was sunbathing, just after I got out of the cold water. It was very funny, and she was very cold and upset. It was time to leave sooner than we all expected, and perhaps best signaled when Alice accidentally broke a bottle while throwing a stone near it. Joe and Steph stopped their futile stone-skipping contest, and everybody packed up to head to studio. I found it very amusing saying ‘after the beach, I guess I’ll head to studio.’

We took a different route home than Via Krupp. This time, instead of a series of ramps, it was straight up stairs for a kilometer or more. By the end, we found ourselves exhausted, but right in the center of town where we got a gelato to cool off. After changing and leaving for studio, Part one of my day was over.

Part Two is what I like to call ‘The 3 Lost Architecture Students.’ Romolo was busy talking to the all American teams of students, while the Italian professor was busy talking to his students. Our group was talking to him, in all Italian, while we sat idly by. In the end, we got a synopsis from our group mates, but I still felt a bit excluded. We got together and discussed some ideas and just as we were starting, Romolo decided to come over. This is where it got monotonous. Romolo talked to the Italians about their ideas, and then us about ours. Each time he had to re-explain to the opposing group what he had just said in a different language. The result was a bi-lingual crit that lasted twice as long as it should have. It was some crazy hour by the time we finished, especially since the leader of their group kept asking questions! I was starving, and luckily Susie came just as we were finishing to whisk me away for dinner.

Here begins Part III, Ashley’s dinner. I’ll be honest; I didn’t even know it was my friend Ashley’s birthday until I was at the dinner table. I blame not having facebook for this oversight. It as a pleasant dinner, a nice 180 from the afternoon’s activities. I got a pasta and pepper dish and split half a pizza with Steph. Both were delicious, and cost about the same as having dinners at the hotel. After dinner I’m pretty sure I went back to the hotel and slept, unaware of the day that was in store for me.